Accessing the ancients: how Latin and Greek at the Faculty of Classics became open to everyone
Accessing the ancients: how Latin and Greek at the Faculty of Classics became open to everyone
A few decades ago, it was only possible for people to study Greek and Latin at university if they’d first studied it at school. Then, fifty years ago, Cambridge’s Faculty of Classics first introduced the possibility of learning Greek with no previous experience; and twenty years ago the same was made possible for Latin.
Join this interesting talk hosted by Mr Franco Basso and Dr Rosanna Omitowoju who have been teaching Greek and Latin in the Faculty of Classics for the past twenty years. Hear testimonies from both teachers and students, and find out more about how teaching Greek and Latin has changed in the Faculty of Classics.
Speakers
Franco Basso

Franco Basso studied Classics at the Scuola Normal of Pisa and at Oxford, where he taught for ten years before joining the Faculty of Classics in Cambridge.
He is a University Associate Professor in Classics and a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College.
Dr Rosanna Omitowoju

Rosanna Omitowoju is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Classics, where she has been teaching since 2000. She has a language teaching specialism and has been particularly engaged in setting up, leading, promoting and supporting the Four Year Degree programme.
Her own research background is in Greek literature and cultural history, but she teaches Greek and Latin in equal amounts - which suits her fine as she is more of a 'jack of all trades' than many academics and is passionate about making the Classics and Classical languages accessible to as wide and diverse a mixture of students as possible.